An Introduction to Body Memory
By Jonathan A. Tripodi, NCTMB

“It has been discovered that many of the recurrent symptoms you commonly experience in your body are caused by Body Memory that has accumulated for years.”

What is Body Memory?
Simply stated, Body Memory is the energy of past experiences that is stored in the body.

What kind of energy are you referring to?
Electrical, magnetic and chemical energy create and communicate your experiences in your body. (1,2,6,11) It has recently been discovered that the energy of “light” is being emitted from the center of your cells in the form of photons. (9) How light relates to experience and Body Memory is unclear, but there are some
fascinating theories.

I have never heard of Body Memory. Is this something new?
Yes, it is fairly new. The concept of past experiences being stored in the mind has been explored for years in the field of psychology. Only recently has the bridge between the mind and body become more clearly understood. Now, researchers, pioneers, and visionaries, from practically every field of science and medicine
are providing documentation that supports the existence of Body Memory.

How does Body Memory develop?
That is the question that many pioneers in mind-body medicine are exploring right now. What has been discovered is that your body converts the physical sensations, emotions, and psychological impressions of an experience into various types of energy. When you perceive any part of an experience as threatening or
overwhelming, a protective mechanism is triggered that immobilizes the energy and stores it until you are able and willing to fully experience it. (3, 11) Body Memory often develops in response to injuries, pain, stress, trauma, abuse, illness and surgery.

How does energy become stored as Body Memory?
A chain of events occurs almost simultaneously, as every system in your body responds to an experience that you perceive to be overwhelming or threatening. First, your nervous system sends electrical currents to your muscles so that you can either confront the threat or move away from it. Chemicals called “neuropeptides”
are produced instantaneously, communicating your emotions to your cells. (2)

“When you are unwilling or unable to confront or move away from a threat, you “freeze.” (3)

The freeze response activates changes in the magnetic energy field that surrounds and interpenetrates your body. (11) These changes function to immobilize the electrical currents and chemical emotions in your body. The energy is not technically stored but immobilized, like water against a dam. When you come out of the freeze response, it is like removing the dam. The energy that was immobilized begins to flow again.

It seems quite a stretch to believe that an experience which happened years ago can still be stored in my body. How can that happen?
Great question! In general, the reason you carry Body Memory for so long is because the freeze response remains on “autopilot,” keeping the energy of your experiences stored. Even though the threatening or overwhelming experience has passed, you continue to respond to it as if it were still happening. (3)

What are the symptoms of Body Memory?
Initially, Body Memory causes your muscles to tense, and over time, the surrounding connective tissue hardens and restricts. (4,5,6) The longer body memory has been stored, the harder, tenser and more restricted your body will feel.

“As Body Memory accumulates, the tensions multiply and become stronger. When you are unable to adapt successfully to these added tensions, symptoms develop.”

The most common symptoms of Body Memory are movement problems, spasm, pain, mal-alignment of the spine and joints, headaches, stress, phobias and recurrent emotional challenges. It takes energy to suppress Body Memory, especially the emotional component, and so fatigue is often experienced. Michael Ryce, Ph.D., author of “Why is This Happening to Me Again,” believes that as much as 90% of our personal energy
is used to suppress Body Memory.

How do I know if I have Body Memory?
Anywhere in your body that feels tense, tender, painful or hard is a likely indicator that you have Body Memory, especially those parts of your body that have felt that way for a long time. Chronic fatigue, anxiety or emotional challenges are also indicators of Body Memory. Think back to when you felt overwhelmed by an injury, trauma, surgery, or an exceptionally stressful event or time in your life. Then, you can appreciate the fact that you have survived many challenging experiences.

“The question really isn’t if you have Body Memory, but how much and to what degree is this stored energy affecting the way you look, move, think & feel.”

Can I release Body Memory?
Yes, but release is the second phase of healing Body Memory - there are four phases.

Phase 1: Recall
Recall is when you become aware of the physical sensations and emotions that are stored in your body. It occurs as you reconnect with and feel into your body, especially those areas that are tense, tight, weak, uncomfortable or painful.

Phase 2: Release
Release of the freeze response occurs next. You must interrupt the automated message your mind is sending to your body to “hold.” As your mind lets go, muscles relax and stored energy begins to circulate. There may be physical sensations and/or suppressed emotions that are felt and released at this time. Sometimes people assume the actual positions of past injuries or trauma, an experience referred to as “positional” memory release.

Phase 3: Integration
After the release phase, integration of your mind and body occurs next. Insights may occur after a release that provide you with a new understanding about yourself and your past. If needed, this is an excellent time to incorporate counseling, journaling or other self-help therapies that support you with the integration
process. If no memories or insights surface, then the release of stored energy may be all that was needed.
Physically, every structure in your body, including bones, muscles and organs, moves into a new alignment, now that the tension of holding Body Memory has been released. During this phase, strengthening, flexibility and movement exercises play an essential role in reeducating your body to assume a more balanced,
stable posture.

Phase 4: Resolution
Resolution occurs last when you have released and integrated all the stored energy from a past experience. It represents a completion of the experience, therefore creating lasting change.

So, resolution is about completing an experience?
Yes! And completing an experience involves experiencing it fully. Experience is “energy”! It is the energy from your past that is stored in which you need to release so that you can heal, grow, change and evolve.

Can I heal from Body Memory on my own or do I need a special kind of therapy?
Yes, you can heal from Body Memory on our own, but most of us need help along the way. Keep in mind that you created Body Memory out of a need to survive. It occurred automatically and unconsciously. Most of us have adapted to being in survival mode for years. So, it is beneficial to seek help so you can become aware of your protective holding patterns. This awareness begins the whole healing process and is the first step towards letting go. The connective tissue restrictions that develop from long term Body Memory can be difficult to release on your own. Yoga can help, but most of us will need to be treated by a therapist who specializes in the release of connective tissue.

What therapies treat Body Memory?
Most all therapies directly or indirectly treat Body Memory, but to varying degrees. Here are some general indicators that Body Memory is being treated.

1. The therapy supports you to develop an awareness of the freeze response active in your body.
2. The therapy supports a release of the freeze response and suppressed emotions.
3. The therapy supports the releases connective tissue restrictions.
4. The therapy incorporates active listening and guidance.
5. The therapy includes home exercise instruction for flexibility, strengthening and movement reeducation.

Keep in mind that Body Memory cannot be forced to release, only supported. The presence of Body Memory indicates that you are protecting yourself from a past experience that you perceived to be threatening or overwhelming. Underlying this protection is fear. Even with the best intentions, techniques that force a release cause you to protect even more. More important than technique are the qualities of the therapist treating you. To be effective in treating Body Memory, a therapist must be sensitive, supportive, patient, persistent, aware, non-judgmental and actively resolving his own Body Memory. Most importantly, you will need to find a therapist you can trust.

“Resolving Body Memory does not occur by accident. It takes courage, trust, support, patience, persistence and time.”

As a therapist, how do you treat Body Memory?
After 7 years of training and experience treating Body Memory, I developed the Body Memory Recall approach, or BMR for short. BMR is an integration of my training which includes Myofascial Release, Myofascial Unwinding, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Therapeutic Touch. (5,8,10) I combine these modalities with therapeutic dialogue, customized exercise training, and movement reeducation to support the complete healing process of Body Memory.

“You cannot completely resolve Body Memory until you fully feel, release and integrate it. It is an amazing process that reminds us how sensitive we truly are, and that our ability to heal is as powerful as our ability to survive.”

References & Suggested Reading
1. The Body Electric, by Robert O. Becker, M.D. & Gary Selden
2. Molecules of Emotion, by Candace B. Pert, Ph.D.
3. Waking the Tiger, by Peter A. Levine
4. Job's Body, by Deane Juhan, M.A., M.T.
5. Myofascial Release: the Search for Excellence, by John F. Barnes, P.T.
6. Core Energetics, by John C. Pierrakos, M.D.
7. Chinese Healthway Newsletter, Number 101, Spring 2000
8. Cranial Sacral Therapy, by John E. Upledger, D.O., F.A.A.O.
9. Hameroff, Stuart R. (Summer 1994). ‘Quantum Coherence in Microtubules:
A Neural Basis for Emergent Consciousness?’. Journal of Consciousness
Studies, 1, No.1, pp91-11
10. Visceral Manipulation, by Jean-Pierre Barral & Pierre Mercier
11. Light Emerging, by Barbara Ann Brennon